EPA’s proposed changes to “waters of the United States” will hurt water quality, lessen flood protections in the Southern Blue Ridge

Statement from MountainTrue on EPA’s Proposed Rollback of Wetland and Waterway Protections

MountainTrue strongly opposes the newly announced draft rule from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Army that would further narrow the definition of ‘waters of the United States.’ This proposal strips federal safeguards from many rivers, wetlands, and headwater streams that are essential to the health and safety of communities, particularly in the Southern Blue Ridge.

By weakening the Clean Water Act yet again — on top of the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Sackett v. EPA — this rule removes protections from wetlands and small streams that filter pollution, support trout and other sensitive wildlife, and reduce the severity of flooding. In a region still recovering from Hurricane Helene, it is hard to imagine a worse time to undermine the natural systems that protect our homes, supply our drinking water, and power our recreation economy.

Western North Carolina and the Southern Blue Ridge is a headwaters region full of small streams and sensitive wetlands under attack in this proposal. Without wetlands, flood waters have nowhere to go, seeping further into our homes, businesses and built environment. Additionally, small streams provide habitat for sensitive wildlife like endangered mussels and beloved salamanders and supply the drinking water systems we all rely on.

When federal protections recede, our communities are left more vulnerable. As our recovery from Hurricane Helene continues, it is more important than ever to ensure our natural systems are intact to help protect us from future flood events. MountainTrue and our Riverkeepers will be engaging fully in the public comment process, educating our communities about what is at stake, and working with partners across the state to defend clean water protections.

This is part of a troubling pattern from EPA leadership: rolling back clean water safeguards, weakening protections from toxic pollution and prioritizing corporate interests over public health. These decisions are not abstract — they directly affect the water our families drink, the rivers we fish and paddle, and the wetlands that shield our mountain towns from storm damage.

Clean water is not optional. It is essential to our health, our economy, and our resilience. We will continue fighting for the strong safeguards that every community in Western North Carolina deserves.

We are working with our partners to research these proposed changes and will keep you updated about ways we can fight together for watershed health in the mountain region.

You can make a real difference in the future of our mountain region

Dear friends and supporters,

The past year has taught us a great deal and provided the opportunity to support our community more than ever. Our work continues to grow to meet the needs of those who call the Southern Blue Ridge home.

Take a look at what we’ve been focused on this past year:

With support from people like you, we have accomplished real, measurable change. Together, we

built an organizing team that is campaigning to keep our forests in public hands and to maintain lasting environmental protections like NEPA and the roadless rule;
launched the Appalachian Design Center to help struggling communities recover from the storm, plan for climate resilience, and better prepare for future disasters; and
established the most extensive debris removal program in WNC’s history, collecting more than 4 million pounds of trash and debris to date.

Victories like these do not happen alone. We need your support to keep the wins coming. You can make a real difference in the future of our mountain region.

As we celebrate all that we have accomplished, we realize our work is far from over. Funding from NCDEQ is limited to cleanup and bank stabilization. We still need your help to protect and restore our rivers, forests, and communities, and strengthen resilience across our region. Recovering from Helene means building a better future for all of us. It means making our mountains stronger, safer, and more resilient for everyone who calls these mountains home. And it will take all of us to make that future possible.

Your gift brings renewal where it’s needed most. Give today to help our Southern Blue Ridge Mountains continue to recover and thrive.

With deep gratitude,

Bob Wagner, MountainTrue Executive Director

MountainTrue takes action to protect the Nolichucky Gorge

Dear friends and supporters,

I’m writing today to share a difficult but necessary decision. Together with the Center for Biological Diversity and represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center, MountainTrue has filed suit to stop an illegal logging project in the Nolichucky River Gorge in Pisgah National Forest.

At MountainTrue, we believe that lawsuits should always be the last resort. We tried to work with the Forest Service, but it has moved forward with a logging operation that breaks its own rules, ignores federal environmental laws, and threatens one of the most cherished wild places in our region.

The Forest Service is pushing ahead under the guise of a long-expired emergency order — and doing so without informing the public, completing required environmental review, or consulting with state and federal experts. The project was so secretive that we wouldn’t even have known this part of Pisgah National Forest was being logged without being informed by local residents.

The logging is already underway in the Nolichucky Gorge — an eligible Wild and Scenic River, a North Carolina Natural Heritage Natural Area, home to rare species and beloved by hikers, paddlers, anglers, and local communities. This area is specifically designated under the new Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Plan to be managed for backcountry values and old-growth conservation. A map of the area affected by this secretive and illegal logging can be viewed here.

As our Resilient Forests Program Director, Josh Kelly, explains:

“The Forest Service has moved forward with a logging project that violates their own Forest Plan in one of the jewels of Pisgah National Forest. They are doing so under the guise of an expired emergency order while attempting to complete the project in secrecy, without performing their legal duty to inform the public, complete rare species surveys, or consult with other agencies. We asked the Forest Service for specifics about the project, and they refused, while also providing false information. We feel we have no other recourse but to sue to protect the outstanding qualities of the Nolichucky Gorge.”

MountainTrue has always believed that the future of Pisgah and Nantahala must be rooted in transparency, science, and shared public stewardship. The Forest Service’s actions here undermine that foundation.

So we are asking a federal court to halt logging in the Nolichucky Gorge and require the Forest Service to follow the law, the Forest Plan, and the public process before making decisions that permanently alter this place.

How you can help right now:

Stay informed. We will share updates as the case moves forward. Sign up for our Vistas e-newsletter.
Share this news. Your voice matters in ensuring that the public understands what’s at stake.
Continue to support this work. Your financial support makes it possible for MountainTrue to stand up in moments like this — when the stakes are high and no one else will act.

This is about more than one project. It’s about whether our public lands are stewarded for the long-term health of our forests, rivers, wildlife, and communities.

We remain committed to protecting the Nolichucky Gorge — and to defending the integrity of Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests for this and future generations. Thank you for standing with us.

In solidarity and stewardship,

Gray Jernigan, Deputy Director & General Counsel

Big Update: MountainTrue’s River Debris Cleanup effort expands into Tennessee

Dear MountainTrue Members & Friends,

MountainTrue’s significant River Debris Cleanup Program is expanding!

MountainTrue has received a $750,000 grant from the Center for Disaster Philanthropy’s (CDP) Truist Foundation Western North Carolina Recovery and Resiliency Fund (the Fund) to expand its regional debris cleanup and river restoration program — a historic recovery effort employing displaced workers, restoring damaged waterways, and strengthening communities across the southern Blue Ridge.

This new investment will supplement existing funding from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), enabling MountainTrue to work longer, in a larger area and with more crew members to clean up rivers, streams and streambanks after Hurricane Helene.

“Thanks to the generosity of the Truist Foundation and CDP, we’ll be able to expand the reach of our debris cleanup program — putting more people to work cleaning up more rivers and streams, including in the hardest-to-reach areas and into eastern Tennessee,” said Hartwell Carson, Clean Waters Director for MountainTrue.

With the funding, the nonprofit will add a crew with more technical expertise to navigate exceptionally hard-to-reach areas of whitewater and wield handheld power tools to help with particularly tricky debris piles. The support will allow MountainTrue to operate for 24 months and expand its footprint to the upper French Broad and Nolichucky watersheds in eastern Tennessee.

“Rivers don’t stop at state lines,” noted Jon Stamper, MountainTrue’s River Cleanup Program Manager. “Every bag of trash removed, every streambank stabilized, and every pollution source addressed is one more step toward ecological and economic recovery for our entire region,” he added.

Proven success

MountainTrue launched its River Debris Cleanup Program in July, standing up nine cleanup crews — consisting of 75 employees from 11 counties — to work across 25 WNC counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ Qualla Boundary.

Since Hurricane Helene ravaged our region, MountainTrue volunteers, Riverkeepers, and crew members have removed more than 4 million pounds of debris from the Broad, French Broad, Catawba, Green, North Toe, Rocky Broad, South Toe, Swannanoa and Watauga rivers and their tributaries — restoring vital habitat and protecting downstream communities. Crews focus on removing hand-pickable debris, avoiding trees and shrubs that should be left to maintain streambank integrity.

“At Truist, our purpose is to inspire and build better lives and communities. Supporting MountainTrue’s river debris cleanup program is a powerful way to put that purpose into action — creating local jobs, fostering sustainable recovery, and strengthening the economic foundation of Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee,” said Lynette Bell, Truist’s Head of Philanthropy and President of Truist Foundation. “We’re proud to stand alongside MountainTrue and the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, helping communities recover and prepare for a more resilient future.”

“We are so fortunate to have partners with unique technical expertise and deep community roots to undertake this significant initiative,” added Christine Laporte, program manager for the Truist Foundation Western NC Recovery and Resilience Fund at CDP. “Ecological recovery and clean waterways contribute to everyone’s well-being and are key drivers for our region’s economic recovery. We are grateful for MountainTrue’s committed action supporting the resilience of our rivers and our mountain communities.”

MountainTrue’s River Debris Cleanup Program is re-envisioning post-disaster environmental recovery efforts in a way that centers the people and ecology of the Southern Appalachians. With support from state and private partners, the organization is leading a long-term effort in 25 WNC counties and beyond to clean up storm debris, restore ecosystems, and rebuild river-based economies impacted by Hurricane Helene.

“Western North Carolina’s rivers are central to our identity, our recreation, and our economy,” said Gray Jernigan, deputy director and general counsel of MountainTrue. “We’re deeply grateful to CDP and Truist Foundation for recognizing that recovery isn’t just about rebuilding what was lost — it’s about restoring the natural systems that sustain us.”

Work funded by the Fund will begin immediately and continue through August 2027.

For more information, or to volunteer or apply for a cleanup job, visit cleanupwncrivers.com.

Seeking landowners

One key to the program’s success is the participation of private landowners along rivers and streams. MountainTrue is seeking landowners with river access throughout the region willing to allow debris removal teams access to waterways through their property. MountainTrue is conducting cleanups on streambanks at no cost with a signed landowner access agreement. Interested parties should go to cleanupwncrivers.com for more information.

About MountainTrue

MountainTrue champions resilient forests, clean waters, and healthy communities. We are committed to keeping our mountain region a beautiful place to live, work, and play. Our members protect forests, clean up rivers, plan vibrant and livable communities, and advocate for a sustainable future for all. MountainTrue is home to the Broad Riverkeeper, French Broad Riverkeeper, Green Riverkeeper, and Watauga Riverkeeper, and is active across Western North Carolina and parts of East Tennessee. Learn more at mountaintrue.kinsta.cloud.

About the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP)

The Center for Disaster Philanthropy mobilizes philanthropy to strengthen communities’ ability to withstand disasters and recover equitably when they occur. It provides expert advice and educational resources, supports diverse coalitions, and manages domestic and international disaster funds on behalf of corporations, foundations and individuals through targeted, holistic and localized grantmaking. Find out more at disasterphilanthropy.org and on LinkedIn.

About Truist Foundation

Truist Foundation is committed to Truist Financial Corporation’s (NYSE: TFC) purpose to inspire and build better lives and communities. The Foundation, an endowed private foundation established in 2020 whose operating budget is independent of Truist Financial Corporation, makes strategic investments in a wide variety of nonprofit organizations centered around two focus areas: building career pathways to economic mobility and strengthening small businesses to ensure all communities have an equal opportunity to thrive. Embodying these focus areas are the Foundation’s leading initiatives – the Inspire Awards and Where It Starts. Learn more at Truist.com/Foundation.

Member Spotlight: Sarah Seiler

“I’m a full-time resident of Saluda, NC, though it still makes me smile to say that. My parents moved here full-time in 1992, and I’ve been coming to Saluda since I was about seven or eight. Back then, I swore I’d never live in such a small town. It felt like there just wasn’t enough to do—and definitely not enough people.

But life has a funny way of shifting your perspective. Over time, the quiet that once felt limiting started to feel like peace. Now, our home is tucked in the woods, and it’s my favorite kind of retreat. I can stay ‘on the mountain’ for weeks and never feel restless.

Professionally, I’ve spent my career in healthcare—starting as an ICU and emergency nurse, then moving into emergency management, and later serving as Chief Clinical Officer for an organ procurement organization. These days, I run my own leadership coaching and consulting practice focused on transforming organizational culture and building high-reliability teams. Psychological safety and belonging are at the heart of that work—and, honestly, at the heart of how I try to live.

I’ve always been drawn to wide-open spaces. While the Blue Ridge Mountains have my heart, I also love the wild expanses of Montana and Colorado. The fewer the people, the better.

When I’m not working, you’ll find me outside—mountain biking, hiking, or occasionally trading the trails for a road or gravel ride. My husband and four dogs keep me moving, too. I also volunteer with MountainTrue, Saluda Fire and Rescue, and Spartanburg County Search and Rescue—it’s one of the ways I stay connected to both service and community.

Why I Support MountainTrue

I first connected with MountainTrue during Hurricane Helene. Erica and the rest of the team didn’t have to step in—but they did. They showed up, figured out what was needed, and used their connections to make things happen. Honestly, I’m not sure where we would have been without their help.

As I’ve learned more about MountainTrue, I’ve come to deeply appreciate how they live their mission. They don’t just care for the rivers and forests—they strengthen the communities that depend on them. Many of those communities are the most vulnerable, and MountainTrue takes a holistic, systems-based approach that builds long-term resilience.

Their work reminds me that true sustainability isn’t just about protecting nature—it’s about caring for people, too.

Who Taught Me to Give

I learned about giving from my parents, Barbara and Robert Seiler. Both have always been deeply involved in volunteer work, and their example shaped how I see the world.

As a child, I remember going with my mom to Greater Birmingham Ministries—a multi-faith, multi-racial organization that provides emergency support to people in need and works toward a more just society. She started volunteering there when I was in elementary school and was there nearly every day. Over time, her commitment grew to include environmental causes as well.

My dad served on several boards focused on strengthening community infrastructure and supporting people with different challenges. Their dedication didn’t stop when they moved to Saluda—they simply found new ways to serve.

From them, I learned that there’s always room at the table and that we each have a responsibility to leave the world better than we found it.

The Most Meaningful Gift I’ve Ever Given

That’s a hard question because meaning shows up in so many forms. While financial support matters, the gifts that have stayed with me the most come from rolling up my sleeves and working alongside others. There’s something powerful about connecting with people—listening to their stories, sharing the work, and knowing you’re part of something bigger. Even as an introvert, I find energy in those moments of quiet connection.

And when the giving involves manual labor, it feels especially grounding. You can see what you’ve accomplished with your own hands—and maybe the best part of all—I get to be outside. That combination of purpose, people, and nature fills me in a way nothing else does.

Why Others Should Join MountainTrue

If you’re not yet a member of MountainTrue, I encourage you to take a closer look. Review their IRS Form 990, read their newsletter, and—most importantly—meet their team. You’ll see right away that MountainTrue is fiscally responsible and deeply committed to being good stewards of both our community and our shared resources.

Their dedication to protecting our beloved mountains runs deep, and they understand that lasting impact comes through partnership. And beyond all that, they’re simply great people. Genuine, passionate, and a joy to be around.”

Director of Finance

Asheville, NC

Apply Now

Position Summary

MountainTrue is seeking a highly motivated and experienced Director of Finance to join our team. The Director of Finance will be responsible for the financial health of our organization, providing financial guidance and support to senior leadership. This role requires a strong understanding of financial principles, excellent analytical skills, and the ability to communicate complex financial information clearly and concisely.

The ideal candidate for this role will have at least 3 years of progressive financial leadership experience, preferably with a non-profit organization.

Click here to learn more about the position & submit your application. Applications accepted until the position is filled.